First Steps Calligraphy

Most calligraphy books can be pretty daunting for young artists, but Marsh’s book is aimed at the “absolute beginner.” Excellent for middle school age and above (ages 12 and teens), it features projects on greeting cards, invitations, and romantic verse.  The author begins with the traditional materials…different types of pens, nibs, inks and papers are discussed. The book then explores letter forms…Italic, Roman, Swash Capitals and Cursive Italic are covered in great detail. Each pen stroke is shown and the sequence of strokes is made clear, as well as margins, alignment, layout, multiple columns, and line length and centering.  This book will be used for many years as a reference and source of inspiration!